​Ripple is nearing a five-year jersey-patch agreement with the University of Kansas that would place the Ripple XRP logo on all Kansas athletics uniforms and related venues. The deal is said to have materialized in part thanks to Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s ties to Kansas—he studied there as an undergraduate and served as the student body president—along with the involvement of Kansas Athletic Director Travis Goff. Beyond the jersey branding, the partnership envisions Ripple supporting financial and technology education programs, internships, and career opportunities for Kansas student-athletes.
Sports Business Journal reported that the agreement is being finalized by Learfield, through KU’s Jayhawk Sports Properties arm, built on Goff’s relationship with Garlinghouse. After initial discussions, Garlinghouse handed the negotiations to his marketing team, and talks with the school and Learfield progressed from there. XRP’s price had fallen more than 5% in the previous 24 hours amid a wider cryptocurrency market downturn, and retail sentiment around XRP on Stocktwits shifted toward bullish, though overall chatter remained elevated.
KU’s leadership suggested the deal would do more than simply put a logo on uniforms. Goff remarked that the arrangement aims to “encompass all of our programs,” describing it as a broader opportunity to tell the story of the company and what it does in the marketplace, rather than a standalone jersey patch. The final arrangement will feature branding across Kansas athletics venues, digital platforms, and event signage in addition to the jersey patch. Ripple is also set to fund financial and technology education initiatives for KU athletes and to help place Kansas graduates into jobs and internships in the technology sector.
If completed, Kansas would be the second Big 12 school to reveal a jersey-patch deal, following Oklahoma State’s recent agreement with the Osage Nation. Learfield has brokered 13 of the 21 disclosed jersey-patch deals nationwide, according to Sports Business Journal’s College Jersey Patch Deal Directory. The Kansas deal arrives amid the Big 12’s broader move, including a conference-wide jersey-patch agreement with Monster Energy, which is anticipated to provide member schools with roughly $1 million annually while preserving each school’s ability to pursue its own separate jersey-patch arrangements.